Chapter 9: Serena Setter

Serena Setter

I thought maybe Macon would shift to take me to see Enora. But instead, we took a jeep. It was big and forest green. Macon turned the radio on, and played music the entire way. It was all songs I didn’t know. Oldies. I looked at him, and realized that he had been around for centuries. “Are you listening to ghosts?”

He looked over at me. “What?”

“You’re old.”

He chuckled. “Thanks for that.”

“I just mean…” I blushed. “You’re immortal, aren’t you?”

He shook his head. “Mythology gets a lot wrong. We’re hard to kill, but we can be killed. Why do you think we typically have alliances with witches? Because you’ve got the ability to heal us. We’re like witches that way. Magic makes you live longer, but certainly not forever.”

“Just don’t tell me you think it’s our blood that does it, like the humans. The hunters have all of these weird notions that our blood is where magic comes from but magic doesn’t work like that. It’s elemental. Not something that takes physical form. It’s energy. Some people have it and some don’t.”

“I didn’t know that. No one’s ever explained it that way to me before. But no, I’m not an idiot. And I’ve seen witches get twisted from using blood in their magic. It’s a precious resource, the thing that gives us all life. Not to be used lightly. What were you saying about ghosts earlier?”

“Oh,” I looked back at the radio. “It occurred to me that you might have known some of these people. Or seen them in concert, at least.”

He smiled. “I think people get the wrong idea about being an almost immortal. We’re not surrounded by interesting people all of the time, or always in the thick of it. Mostly we’re just trying to keep from getting killed. If we were hanging out with famous people all of the time, there’s no way that we would be safe. Someone would expose us. Disappointed?”

I shrugged. “A little, but I’m not surprised. That’s why Moon Shadow was created in the first place, right? To keep people like us safe?”

Macon nodded. “Yes. That’s why we can’t let our alliance fall. I understand you might not ever love me…but we’ve got to try to make this work. I’m not going to let people like us not have a place to be safe. Do you understand that?”

I glared at him. “Did you think that I wouldn’t because I’m too young?”

“Serena, that’s not what I’m saying at all!” he objected. “I want to make sure we’re on the same page, that’s it. You’re the High Priestesses' daughter. Next in line to rule the Setter Coven. I know you had your expectations, but we can’t have you being rebellious about this.”

“And what makes you think that I am?” I snapped. “Just because I’m young, Macon, doesn’t mean that I don’t understand what’s going on! My mom’s been involving me with Coven's affairs since I was little, and there’s almost nothing that she doesn’t tell me. I understand my role just as much as you understand yours. Just because I’m not jumping your bones yet doesn’t mean I won’t respect being your mate!”

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. “But I know how you feel about Damien…I’ve seen you two together before. You have an intense history.”

“We’re friends,” I told him. “And I’m not some swoony teenager. I won’t hurt my coven by going against the Goddess. Besides, I don’t assume that you’re not going to love me because you’re pining away for your dead wife!”

He glared at me. “How do you know about that?”

I covered my mouth, shocked that I’d said something so cruel. “My mom…she told me a little bit about your history.”

“Did she?” he said with a raised eyebrow.

I nodded. “It was back when you had that pack from San Francisco come. Everyone thought that maybe you’d found your mate. She even said she hoped you would because you’d been alone for so long. She told me all about you being human before, and how your wife died…and she knew all about it from my grandma because you’ve lived in Moon Shadow so long.”

“Your grandma didn’t know everything,” said Macon. “Lya lived a nice, long life. But I did leave her. When I turned into a wolf, it wasn’t safe for me to be with her anymore. I disappeared. It was the only way I could keep her safe. By the time I was able to go back and see my village without anyone remembering me, she was dead.”

There was sadness in his eyes, so much it hurt me to look at him. “I’m sorry.” I reached out and squeezed his hand. He looked at me, surprised, and smiled softly.

“So am I,” he said. “I loved her, but I understand my responsibility, the same as you.”

“Well, I guess that’s good to know.”

“Is it really?” he said. “Because I thought you might want me to just let you go. I can’t, but I thought you’d try and convince me.”

I shook my head. “No. I…I know how important this is. You aren’t my first choice, but I understand.”

“Good. I’m glad you’re being pragmatic about this.”

I shrugged. “My mom taught me that you’ve got to be that way when you’re leading people. Not everyone is going to show strength the same way, and if you get angry all of the time, you won’t accomplish anything.”

“I’ve always liked Imogen,” he said. “I remember she was upset when she found out about her mate too. She was in love with someone else, or thought that she was. But then eventually, she and your dad figured things out. When he went missing, she asked that I send some wolves to look for him. And I still have someone go look for information once a month.”

“Yeah?” I said, surprised.

He nodded. “He was a good man.”

It wasn’t surprising that Macon knew my dad. And Maxwell Setter was the kind of person everyone liked. He’d been involved with Moon Shadow town affairs for as long as I could remember. And while I’d never interacted with him too much, I’d always known who Macon Forrester was. Everyone said the same thing about him: he was a good man, and a good leader.

I should have been happy to have him as a mate. Not everyone ended up with someone like him. Eden and Darien always reminded me of that. But mates weren’t about love so much as they were about keeping power balances in the world. And if mates decided not to be together, it could weaken their powers, and leave them vulnerable to attacks.

Some even died of a broken heart.

I didn’t want to be like them. But I didn’t want to give up Damien either. No matter how nice Macon could be.

“You okay?” he said. “I didn’t mean to talk about your dad, but I’ve been around Moon Shadow a long time and---”

I shook my head. “It’s fine. I was just thinking.”

“Thinking about what?”

About stars, and dancing with Damien in my dreams. But I couldn’t tell him that. “I’m worried about seeing Enora,” I said. “She was the oldest witch in our family. She was supposed to be next in line to be High Priestess after my mom, but when I came along, she lost that. And I’ve never been as strong as her.”

“She’s your family,” said Macon. “She’ll do what’s right. And we’re here.”

He pulled the jeep to a stop. Sure enough, there was a small cabin right before us. I was surprised. That had never been Enora’s style. But Enora wasn’t a witch anymore. She was a werewolf too. Except…

“Macon,” I said. “Isn’t there a rule that werewolves can’t turn anyone from Moon Shadow?”

He grimaced. “Yes, there is.”

“Enora went missing shortly after my dad. We had no idea what had happened, if it was werewolves or hunters and it caused a rift in Moon Shadow because of it. But if she was turned into a wolf… Do you think my dad was, too? And maybe that’s why we haven’t been able to find him?”

He narrowed his gaze as if that was the first time the thought had occurred to him. “That is very, very possible.”

“You’ve got a rogue wolf, then.”

“So, it would seem. And… we’ve got company.”

I frowned, and looked around to see what he was talking about. There was a black Porsche in the drive way. One that I would have known anywhere. It was Damien’s. And he was standing right in front of the jeep, his eyes blazing with anger.